Tips for playing Pool

 

Congratulations on your interest in pool and billiards. Hopefully you will find useful information here that will help you to enjoy playing the game.

 

 

Many people pick up a pool stick for the first time without really knowing what to do with it, and this severely limits their interest in the game. Other people have been playing pool for awhile and either find that their game is slipping or they just can’t seem to get to the “next level”. In both cases the information we will provide is guaranteed to help!

 

 

Most beginners, and even some more experienced shooters, never bother to learn the basics – and their game suffers for it. If you have been playing pool and billiards for awhile and you’re noticing that your game is slipping I can almost guarantee that your problem is with the basics. If you are a beginner or simply don’t want to look foolish in front of your friends, these pool tips are just the thing you need.

 

 

Written in a plain, easy to follow format without too many technical terms, we will give you:

 

 

The 3 basic rules never to break when shooting

 

 

Pool Tips for beginners that advanced players need to remember, too. Including Stance, Bridge, Break, Basic Shots, etc.

 

 

Pool Room/Billiard Hall Etiquette

 

 

Terminolgy for Pool & Billiards

 

 

An introduction to Pool Games and Rules

 

 

How to select your Best Pool Cue or cue sticks

 

 

Tips for caring for your pool stick, at home and at the pool hall.

 

 

The Proper Stance

 

 

The best advice I can give you concerning the stance that you use while shooting pool or billiards is to WATCH. The best pool tips are free, you just have to know where to find them. Watch some pool movies, like The Hustler or The Color of Money – you don’t see those guys standing on one foot to make a shot, do you? Watch the better shooters whenever you go out to play pool – you won’t see them laying across the table or stretching with their pool cue just to reach the cue ball. The reason why is simple, you must have a firm and balanced stance before you even think about taking a shot.

 

 

I can’t show you with words how to properly stand to make a shot in a game of pool, and certainly each shot will be different, but I can provide some tips, some guidelines, and some things that you can easily watch for when you shoot.

 

 

Never Stretch! If you have to overreach or stretch in order to get your stick to the cue ball you will not be balanced, you will not be able to aim properly, and odds are you will miss that shot. If you do make the shot it was luck – and luck is a very poor substitute for skill.

 

 

Know your shot ahead of time, approach the table, and stop about one foot away from the table. Bend at the waist only, straighten your bridge arm (which culminates at your bridge, where the little end of the cue goes), and position your bridge hand 6-8 inches behind the cue ball. Your bridge arm should be perfectly straight. Your bridge arm should not be supporting your weight. You should be able to easily stand up straight from this position without losing your balance or needing to “push off” of the table.

 

 

Now check your positioning, and look for the following;

Your cue, your right foot, your right elbow, and your dominant eye

should all line up.

Your right arm (or whichever is holding the cue) should point

straight to the floor.

Your wrist is not cocked either in or out, but is straight in line

with your forearm.

 

 

Get that head down, and get that cue level! For taller shooters this may mean backing away from the table, but for most players simply bending the knees a little bit will allow them to lower their face towards the cue. Remember – your chin should never be more than one foot above the cue when shooting. Do not contort your body in all sorts of strange and uncomfortable ways in order to reach your shot, take the basic stance and slightly adjust it. See more about pool scratch rules 

 

 

Don’t shoot one-handed, behind-the-back, or any combination of things that look more like circus acts than playing billiards. Sure, you might make some shots this way – but luck is not technique and technique is what you want to develop.

Now that you know the basic stance, practice it. Stand up, move to a different area of the table, and set yourself up all over again. Practice getting yourself in to a good, balanced stance before every shot, every time. Don’t give in to taking sloppy shots. Practice and consistency will make you a better pool play

 

 

What you should consider before buying

Nowadays there are lots of pool cues in the market, so it is now too much difficult to choose the premium quality cue or one of the  Best pool cues for you. Many companies manufacturing tons of pool cues every single day, for this reason, people gets confused while they are about to purchase a pool cue. If you are willing to buy a premium quality pool cue then you need to consider some facts before buying a pool cue. To help you with your purchase of a pool cue I’ve listed some facts down here.

Quality:

Quality is the most important thing to consider while buying a pool cue. Pool cue must be smooth to touch; you can feel the smoothness just by rubbing your hand over the whole cue. If you can feel that the cue has some jab in its edge then the quality of the cue is not good. In a good quality cue your finger can run through the whole cue without any interference. There will be no stains or nicks and no glue can be seen in a premium quality pool cue.

Tip width and Ferrule:

These are the things of a cue with what you will always be using while playing your game. Usually three parts available in a pool cue – shaft, ferrule, and tip. The shaft is the first 12 inches of the cue. The ferrule has to be closely attached to the shaft and the tip also needs to be closely attached to the ferrule.

In this attachment of this three, part glue can’t be seen anywhere of the pool cue and this is what makes a cue incredibly amazing. The tip needs to be in a dome shape and it has to be attached well with the ferrule. If you get all these things settled up in a cue then that is the best cue you get with a great sort of finishing work.

Rings:

Rings are also the important part of a pool cue and you need to check the quality of a ring while buying your cue. The ring needs to be well attached with the cue and there cannot be any bubbles in the bottom of the finishing. Try to get a cue with metal rings, the reason of choosing metal ring is that it will give a cue the most amazing finishing and it also keeps attached the metal and the wood with the pool cue.

Wrap:

The wrap of a pool cue needs to be smooth and closely stick to the body of the cue, which will make the cue good to strike with. There are several types of wrap in the market such as leather, Irish Linen, and Rubber. If the wrap is of rubber then it needs to be clear and it cannot be lubricous. You can choose a combination of high-quality rubber and silicone and this combination will provide you great performance.

Wrap made with Irish Linen can be tapped smoothly without any poking and this Irish Linen wrap can stick to the cue greatly. The seam of a leather wrap needs to be smooth and it is not quite visible.

Weight:

The weight of a pool cue is another essential fact to consider while purchasing a pool cue. If your pool cue is heavy in weight then you can’t play with comfort and it will strike the cue ball hardly all the time. You can’t control the speed of your cue while playing with a heavy cue. So you need to buy a light cue to improve the accuracy with amazing sort of controlling speed. Light pool cues are always way better than heavy cues. So, with my advice go for a cue with light weight.

Straightness:

Straightness of a pool cue depends on the finishing of a pool cue while making it. You need to check the round figure of a pool cue as well as the straightness. Because sometimes a pool cue might be straight but it is not round perfectly. Grab a pool cue with both of your hands like you are grabbing a rifle in your hands to check the cue is perfectly straight or not. Look at the bottom of the cue while you are holding the cue like a rifle and if the cue has some fault in any places in the body you will see that. While moving the cue in your hands keep one thing in mind that the tip of the cue stays at the bottom all the time.

 

finding the Best Pool cues

 

How do I know that buying an inexpensive cue that looks really nice is a waste of money? For the same reason that I know that actually shooting with a pool stick before buying one is of utmost importance. I’ve been there, I’ve done that, and I really wish I hadn’t! Let’s take a little closer look at these things, shall we?

I bought my first pool stick for $65 at a sporting goods store, because I had no clue where else to get one. Back then I wasn’t a very good player, but I wanted my own stuff. It was nice blue color with a patterned design in the wrap (which was cotton thread and came unraveled in a month). I didn’t get to try it out in the store so I had no idea how it would play. It had plastic joints with the requisite metal threaded stud in the center, and I found out later it weighed 16.5 ounces. It was straight when I got it, but the shaft warped within six months. It played like crap, it was junk, and I usually used house cues even though I had my own. Besides everything, what did I do wrong?

Wood. Remember – you get what you pay for and cheap cues are made of cheap wood. The shaft should not look like a well sanded 2X4. The grain of the wood should be very straight and close together. Put the two pieces together, hold the butt tightly between your feet and grasp the shaft with both hands. Cautiously try to flex it. If it cracks or wobbles like a wet noodle you probably don’t want it. Next, grasp it near the tip and gently strike the shaft from the side with your other hand. It should feel nice and firm. While we’re talking about the shaft – run away from screw-on tips. They are junk and you really don’t want them, trust me.

The butt half of the cue can be complicated. For the basics though, points are good – as long as they are actual points of wood that have been splined together, painted on points do absolutely nothing for you. Good cues have an adjustable weight under the rubber butt cap. The grip area can be bare, wrapped (with real linen, not cotton thread), or have a covered wrap.

The joint connection between the shaft and the butt of the cue is extremely important. It must be solid and it must provide an excellent wood-to-wood connection when assembled.

The weight of your pool cue is an entirely personal decision, but most shooters start out with a 19-20 ounce stick. Personally I think that 19.5 is the ultimate weight for a first cue. I shoot with an 18.75 now – but that’s just me.

That second cue that I bought was a beautiful 19 ounce viking pool cues with four points and nice hardwood inlays. It cost $750 and after awhile I hated using it. It shot like a dream, but it just wasn’t the right choice for me. Why did I make that mistake? I didn’t practice with different brands before I bought it. Hey, at least this time I bought a cue with a good brand name!

 

best Name Brand Pool Cues

Always buy a pool cue with a recognized brand name. If you don’t know any names ask around. McDermott makes excellent sticks with very good prices – you just can’t go wrong with one of these. viper pool cues Lucasi, Phillipi, Player, Viking, and Meucci are all excellent names to look for. Just ask around. All manufacturers make sticks that play differently, so be sure to try each before buying.

I’ve learned my lessons the hard and expensive way so you don’t have to. I’ve become a fairly accomplished shooter though I play only occasionally anymore. For the last 10 years I have been very pleased with my 18.75 ounce Meucci, two points, with a Predator shaft. Play hard, play fair.